Railway-car.



E. W. SUMMERS.

RAILWAY GAR. APPLIOATION FILED SBPT,22, 1908.

Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

an mw INVENTOR E. W. SUMMERS.

Patented Apia 13, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTQE? WITNESSES:

E. W. SUMMERS.

RAILWAY GAR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22

Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES:

UNITED srnilns EDGAR W. SUMMERS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-can.

Application filed September 22, 1908. Serial No. 454,244. 1

specification. 4

This invention relates to that class of cars having drop bottoms fordischarging the load and more particularly to hopper bottom cars forcarrying and discharging iron ore andsiinilar materials. Ore cars arerequired to be of short length in'order that a train thereof may-beplaced so that eachcar will be locatedover a pocket in the ore dock, thespacing of said pockets conforming to that of the hatches of orecarrying vessels. On account of the short lengths of ore cars the spacelongitudinally of the car between the inner truck wheels is so smallthat it is difficult to arrange openings sufficiently large to preventthe 'ore from bridging or arching over these openings.

In my Patent No. 835,167 granted November 6, 1906, I have illustrated,described and claimed an ore car of the standard length and having adoor opening in its bottom of such size as to prevent the bridging ofthe ore and insure discharge of the load.

The present invention is an improvement for its objects to simplify thedoor construction so as to dispense a ith the transverse doors of saidprior patent; to provide operatingmeans for the doors which can beoperated from either side of the car and by means of which both ends ofthe doors will be simultaneously lifted. and lowered; to provide aconstruction whereby a steam pipe'ran be conveniently inserted above thebottom for thawing the lading in case of freezing; to provide anelevated end platform between the end'of the body and the end sill so asto enable trainmen to pass along the train; to provide an improvedconnection for tho inner ends of the draft sills, as well as otherinirovements and details .of construction hereinafter described andclaimed.

In the accoin anyingfdrawings Figure 1 is a vertical centra longitudinalsection through a portion of. a car embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is aplan View of a portion of said car with parts broken out; Fig. 3 is avertical transverse section through the car, and Figs. 4 and 5 aredetail views of portions of the door operating mechanism.

Specification of Letters Patent.

on the car described in said patent and. has

PATENT-OFFER Patented April 13, 1909.

The car is of the hopper type having the side walls 1 vertical for thegreater portion oftheir height, but preferably having the lower portion,as at 2, slo ing inwardly so as to contract the body sightly toward thebottoml The end floor plates 3 are sloped atv edges extending toward thecentral line of the car so that the doors in opening swing downwardlyand outwardly as shown in Fi 3. The car is not provided with center sills and therefore provides an unobstructed opening of slightly greaterwidth than the distance between the tracks and of somewhat greaterlength than thedistance between the inner truck wheels, as clearly shownin the drawings and as described in my patent above identified. In myprior patent this mpening was closed bviincans of four doors,

doors. The present car has only-two longitudinal doors, but the endsthereof are provided with 7 upwardly sloping portions 7 which when thedoors are closed form substantially a continuation of the sloping endplates 3, said the ends of the mm to projgctr ver the ends of theWheels. The upwardl pro'ecting portions 7 on the doors are formedpreferably b pressing'door plates to the desired shape, afthough ifdesired they may be formed of separate plates suitably secured to themain door plates,

The free edges of the doom have connected thereto the suspending beams 8formed preferably of pressed plates as shown and connected to theupturned end portions of the doors by plates 9. Operating chains 10 areconnected to the ends of the door beams at both ends of the door andpass upwardly over suitable sheaves 11 on transverse shaft 12 mounted inthe inner ends of the draft sills 13. The chains are connected tosuitable drums orpulleys 15 onwinding shafts 16 located transversely ofthe car. The windtwo longitudinal doors" and two transverse uCpturnedportions permitting ing shafts 16 at the two ends of the car areconnected by a longitudinal shaft 17 provided with worms 18 engagingworm wheels 4 19 on said winding shafts, so that both shafts areoperated simultaneously, in order that both ends of the doors can belifted and lowered by a singleo erator; The longitudinal shaft isprovide with a bevel pinion 2O meshing with a similar pinion 21 on oerating shaft22. The latter shaft exten s entirely across the car and isprovided with squared ends or other operating connections, so that itcan be operated from either side of the car. The door operatingmechanism described is such that a single attendant'can operate the samefrom either side of the car. The worm and worm wheel connectiops betweenthe operating shaft and'winding-shaft also provide in themselves a lockthereby dispensing with separate locking means. Stops, generallyindicated at'23, are preferably emloyed to prevent turning the windingshafts m the wrong direction.

The outer edges of the doors 5 are spaced somewhat from the ho per sideplates 2, as shown in Fig. 3, there y permitting the inlsertion of asteam pipe to direct steam along the inner surface of the doors 5 inorder to thaw the lading in case of freezing. The outer edges of thedoors are located sufficiently high so that the lading cannot escape. Itis mere y necessary'to ha a the door edges slightly higher thanthe angleof repose of the ore.- This provides for the ready thawing out of theload and without'e-utting holes in the side 'of the car or the doors,through which the ore would be liable to escape.

The draft sills 13 cxti .d inwardly beyond the body bolster 26 which isprovided with the usual center bearing plate 27. The inner ends of thesesills are connected to the sloping floor plates 3 by means of gussetplates 28 riveted. to the draft sills and to the floor plates. Thetendency ,of the draft sills, due to their supporting the inner edges ofthe doors, is to rotate-on a horizontal axis around the center bearingplate 27, and the. connections between the gusset plates 28 and lloorlates 3 are so located that the rivets 29 are p aced under shear by thetendency of the draft sills to rotate .as stated. In other words theline of rivets 29 lies practically in an arc struck around the bolstercenter plate as a center. By the connection described the inner ends ofthe draft sills are practlcally sus ended from the sloping end floorplates ant in a manner to put the rivets under shear and thus utilizetheir maximum efficiency. The winding shaft and transverse operatingshaft are mounted in or on the draft sills. The extreme innerends ofsaid draft sills are pressed slightly toward each other as shown in Fig.2, and also bent slightly downwardly to prov de convenient bearings forthe guide sheave shaft 12. The

lower edges of the sloping. floor plates are stiffened transversely bythe angle plate or bar 30.

The necessary steep pitch of the end floor plates 3 prevents th odybeing extended out to the end sills. such a'large space between the endsof the bodies oftwo coupled cars as to prevent the trainmen from passingover when the train is loaded. To permit this I provide elevated endplatforms 32 near the tops of the bodies of the car and extending fromtheends of the body practically out to the ends of the un derframe,thereby permitting trainmen to traverse a loaded train. This platformalso serves as a convenient place for operation of the brake-hand wheel33. Ladders 34 are provided on each side leading up to these platformsand referably one of said ladders is provided wit one broad step 35.

The top edges of the side plates are provided with chords ofsubstantially diamond shape as shown at 36, these being formed ofConsequently there is pressed plate, and preferably being integralportions of the g body side plates. These diamond shaped chords give thenecessary strength and do not present any'surface for the lodgment ofore.

The car illustrated has numerous parts not referred to in the foregoingdescription but as they form no part of the present invention, adescription is deemed unnecessary.

What I claim is;

1. A railway car comprising in combination, a body provided with slopingend floor plates and having a discharge opening in its bottom, a pair ofdoors hinged longitudinally of the ear, said doorsbeing provided withupwardly projecting end portions for1ncar and opening outwardly anddownwardly, said doors being provided vwith upwardly projecting endportions forming when the doors are closed extensions ofthe sloping endfloor plates. p I

3. A railway car coi'nprising in combination, a body provided withsloping end floor k plates and a discharge opening in its bottom, a pairof doors hinged longitudinally of the car and having a lengthgreaterthan the space between the'inner truck wheel's, said doors beingprovided with upwardly projecting end portions forming when the doorsare closed extensions of the end floor plates.

4. A railway car comprising'in combination, a body provided with slopingenddloor lates and witha discharge opening in its ottom, a pair oi doorshinged longitudlnally of the car and havingalength greater than thespace between the truck wheels, said doors being provided with upwardlyprojecting end portions forming when the doors are closed extensions ofthe sloping end floor plates, said doors'being hinged at or near the carsides and extending inwardly toward the center ofthe car and openingoutwardly and downwardly, a portion of the doors passing between theinner truck Wheels. v. j 5. A railway car comprising in combination, ahop er body having sloping end floor plates and aving a large bottomdischarge opening and no center sills, a body bolster, draft beamsextending inwardly from the car ends beyond the body Holsters, and aconnesting member aflixedto the sloping end floor p ates and'to a sideface of a draft beam inside the body bolster and lying in a planeparallel to said side face.

6. A railway car comprising in combination, a ho per body having slopingend floor plates and and no center sills,'body bolsters, draft sillsextending inwardly from the car end beyond the body bolsters,

floor plates in such position as to put the rivets in shear.

7. A hopper car provided with longitudi-- closing shaft at each end ofthe car, conneca large central discharge opening.

and connectin members, on the draft sills riveted -to-the s loping end.

tions therefrom to the ends of the doors, a longitudinal shaftconnecting said door closing shafts, and a transverse operating shaftextending from side to side of the car and geared to said longitudinalshaft.

8. A hopper car provided with longitudinal doors, a transverse doorclosing shaft at each end of the car, connections from said shafts tothe ends of the doors, a worm wheel on each of. said transverse shafts,a longitudinal shaft, worms thereon meshing with said worm wheels, atransverse operating shaft extend-ing out to both sides of the car, andgearing connecting said transverse operating shaft and said longitudinalshaft.

9. A hopper car having the end of its body located inside of the end orend sill, an ele-v vated platform at the end of thebody, and a ladderleading up to said platform.

10. A metallic railway oar having body side plates and a top chord forsaidside plates of substantial cross section.

. 11. A metallic railway car having side lates with their upper edgesbentto form a. hollow chord of substantially diamond shape in crosssection.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

y diamond shape in EDGAR w. SUMMERS. Witnesses FREDERIC SoHAnFER, F. W.WINTER;

